Pneumatic motor



Patented Jan. 4,1927.

FRED VOLARE, OF SCOTCH PLAINS, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE AEOLIAN COM- FICE.

PANY, A CGRPORATIGN 0F CONNECTICUT.

FIVEU MATIC MOTOR.

Application filed October 26, 1923. Serial No. 670,887.

My present invention relates to improvements in pneumatic motors including motors for automatic musical instruments such as pianos and organs, and comprises improved means for operatively mounting the valves of such motors; also improvements in the pitmen thereof and in the parts on said valves and the motor pneumatics for operatively connecting said pitmen to said valves and motor pneumatics.

The construction of the foregoing has heretofore been complicated and expensive to manufacture and assemble, in marked contrast to the simplicity and inexpensiveness brought about by improvements both as to manufacture and assembling.

The drawings show a pneumatic motor embodying my improvements in their preferred form. In said drawings, Fig. 1 is a face view of said motor; Fig. 2 is a combined vertical section and end view on the line 22 in Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view on a larger scale of one of the pitmen detached, said section being taken in the line 38 in Fig. l looking in the lirection of the arrows; and Fig. 4 is a plan view of the same pitman looking down upon it in Fig. 3.

Before describing my improvements, it will be merely necessary to say by way of preface as to the pneumatic motor proper to which my improvements are applied, that it may be of any usual or preferred construction, the specific type shown in the drawings being merely one of the numerous kinds of pneumatic motors to which my improvements are applicable. For this reason, no detailed description of the pneumatic motor proper is necessary, it being sufficient to point out that 1 designates the motor pneumatics; 2 their slide valves; 3 the crank shaft provided with the sprocket wheel 4 for delivering the power developed by the motor to the driven mechanism; and 5-5 are brackets for supporting the motor in the ver tical position shown inside the automatic musical instrument in operative relation rith the music-roll and take-up spool mechanism thereof.

I will now describe my improvements, beginning with my improved means for operatively supporting the slide valves 2. This means consists of metal staples 6 driven into the back of the motor with their legs at the sides of the valves and with the upper portion of said staples bent so as to overlie the exposed face of the valves. In this way the valves are guided at the sides for endwisereciprocation and at the same time are held operatively in position against the back of the motor relatively to the ports controlled by said valves.

Further, each valve has a metal piece secured thereto consisting of a round crosssectioned part 7 extending transversely adj acent the exposed face of the valve and supported in that position by thelegs 7 which are preferably flattened so as to be rigidly securable by the screws 8 to the side edges of the valve between the legs of the previously described guide staples 6.

There are six pitmen within my invention shown in Fig. 1, of which three are longer than the others but are otherwise the same in construction. The three long pitmen 9 are shown operatively connecting the motor crank shaft with the several valves 2, whereas the short pitmen 9 connect said crank shaft with the several pneumatics 1. Since, apart from length, there is no difference be tween the pitmen 9 and 9, the following de scription and reference numerals apply equally to both. Each pitman consists of a strip of springy or resilient metal, preferably spring steel, provided with bent-up, substantially U-shaped ends 9". The latter are of such size and shape that they can be sprung over the crank shaft 3 and over the above described round cross-sectioned part 7 of the valves, as shown at 9 and 9 in Figs. 1 and 9., the resilience of the sides of said U- shaped ends serving to operatively retainf the pitmen in position.

To make a better, noiseless bearing, each U-shaped end is lined with a sound-deadening material such as felt, in the form preferably of a strip 10 of such material secured by its ends under the clamping lugs 9 and 9 which latter are located adjacent the mouth of each U-shaped end and are preferably formed integral with the pitman. Thus, the lugs 9 consist of the extremities of the pitman beyond the U-shaped ends bent back so as to grip the material 10, as best shown in Fig. 3, between the said lugs 9 and the outside of the U-shaped ends 9. On the other hand, the lugs 9 are stamped up from the body portion of the pitman adjacent the U-shaped ends so as to receive under them the material 10 and to clamp same against said body portion of the pitman.

From the foregoing, it will be evident how easily the pitmen can be assembled to con nect the crank shaft with the valves by merely snapping the resilient U-shaped ends of the pitmen over said crank shaft and the part- 7 of the respective valves. Similarly, they can be disassembled by prying or forcing their U-shaped ends off the parts with which they are engaged.

The pitmen 9 that connect the crank shaft and the power pneumatics 1 are similarly adapted to be snapped into and out of operative position exactly as above described in connection with the longer pimen 9, the movable boards of the power pneumatics being each provided with a round cross-sec tioned-metal part 11 adapted to be received into and retained by the U-shaped end of the 'pitman, said part 11 being in turn support-- ed by legs 11, which latter are preferably flattened as best shown in Fig. 2 so as to be rigidly securable by the screws 12 to the movable board of the motor pneumatics' Of course, modifications and changes may be made in the above preferred embodiment of myinvention which will still be Within the scope antl spirit of the foregoing disclosure and within the scope and spirit of the annexed claims, which as such are intended to be covered thereby.

7 What I claim is:

1. In a pneumatic motor comprising motor pneumatics and their slide valves, the combination of retaining guides for said valves consisting of metal staples with their legs at the sides thereof and with the upper portions of said staples bent so as to overlie the exposed face of said valves; a metal piece for each valve consisting of a round cross-sectioned part extending transversely adjacent the exposed face of the valve and supported in position by legs secured to the valve at the sides thereof between the legs of the aforesaid staples; and pitmen consisting of metallic members having substantially U-shaped ends, the latter adapted in size and shape to be sprung over the crank shaft and said round cross-sectioned parts to operatively connect the same.

2. In a pneumatic motor comprising motor pneumatics and their slide valves, the com-- bination of retaining guides for said valves consisting'of metal members having legs at the sides of said valves with the upper portions of said members bent so as to overlie the exposed face of the valves; a metal piece for each valve consisting of a round crosssectioned part extending transversely adjacent the exposed face of the valve and supported in that position on the valve; and pitmen consisting of metallic members having substantially U-shaped ends, the latter adapted in size and shape tobe sprung over the crank shaft and said round cross-sectioned parts to operatively connect the same.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, this 24th day of October, 1923.

FRED VOLARE. 

